September 25, 2023 – York, Maine
Issue: Straightforward
Parking: Sohier Park – 11 Sohier Park Rd, York, ME 03909
There may be free parking at Sohier Park with a superb view of the lighthouse.
Overview:
The Cape Neddick Gentle stands on Nubble Island about 100 yards off Cape Neddick Level. It’s generally referred to as “Nubble Gentle” or just “The Nubble.”
It’s one in all Maine’s hottest lighthouses. It rests on a small island simply off the purpose of land occupied by York’s 3-acre Sohier Park. The Nubble Lighthouse is maintained and overseen by The York Parks and Recreation Division.
The Nubble Gentle has all the time drawn hordes of vacationers, and is one in all Maine’s hottest vacationer sights. Wonderful views from the park, stunning native surroundings, and the wealthy historical past of the lighthouse make it one of the photographed lighthouses on this planet. In the present day an estimated half million individuals go to Sohier Park yearly to gaze throughout the channel on the lighthouse.
Nubble Island (the land that the Cape Neddick Lighthouse truly sits on) is inaccessible to the general public. Nonetheless, Sohier Park offers spectacular views of the lighthouse and the encircling space.
Historical past:
To guard the lives of sailors touring by Maine’s rocky shores, the residents of York petitioned the U.S. Authorities for a lighthouse. President Hayes spent $15,000 in 1874 to construct a lighthouse on what he known as a “nub” of an island. A number of years later, the lighthouse opened on July 1, 1879.
In 1939, the U.S. Coast Guard took over the duty of working the state’s lighthouses. The Coast Guard took care of the lighthouse till 1987, when the lighthouse was geared up with automated lights, eradicating the necessity for a human operator. Shortly after, the Cape Neddick Lighthouse was rapidly added to the Nationwide Register of Historic Locations. A lease was additionally signed between the U.S. authorities and the City of York in 1987 to ensure the lighthouse’s common upkeep. The lighthouse was handed over to York 10 years later.
Sohier Park, as presently configured, was acquired in three separate transactions. Two of the parcels of land had been bought by William D. Sohier of Beverly, Massachusetts, to the Village Company on Might 15, 1929 and June 20, 1929, for one greenback every. The City of York acquired the third parcel, the island with the lighthouse and related enhancements, on Might 15, 1998, from the US of America. Whereas the City acquired the island and lighthouse in 1998, the Sohier Park Ordinance was amended solely in Might 2019 to develop the Sohier Park to incorporate the island itself.
Go to Overview:
Sure I do know, this isn’t a hike. I made a decision to incorporate it as a result of it’s a cool spot to take a look at in between hikes. Every so often I like to incorporate locations which might be enjoyable to {photograph} and could also be of curiosity to others.
On the time of my go to, I used to be coping with medical points that severely restricted my stamina, power and endurance. With that being mentioned, I continued to get exterior and stroll as a lot as I might. That’s the reason a few of my current hikes/walks are considerably brief and simple.
On a highway journey to Maine, I needed to go to as many fascinating areas as potential alongside the best way. I had a listing a mile lengthy and wasn’t in a position to go to each place that I needed, however nonetheless hit some very nice spots. I’m particularly desirous about historic buildings and ruins, which incorporates stone towers and lighthouses.
Yesterday, I visited three historic stone towers: Wright’s Tower, Slayton Memorial Tower and Excessive Rock Tower. All three towers are in Massachusetts.
When touring alongside the coast of Maine, there are such a lot of lighthouses to see, however so little time. We arrived on the Nubble Gentle about 10am on a cool and windy Monday morning. We walked in regards to the small park taking pictures of the lighthouse from each angle. Undoubtedly price a cease in case you are within the space, or mixed with different factors of curiosity, an amazing highway journey.
Nubble Lighthouse:
Nubble Lighthouse is a well-maintained, colourful lighthouse with a two-story keeper’s home, and a 41-ft. tower rising 88 ft. above the excessive water mark. The distinctive pink oil home was in-built 1902.
The “Nubble” is a small, rocky island a brief distance off the jap level of Cape Neddick, about two miles north of the doorway to the York River and York Harbor. In 1602, explorer Bartholomew Gosnold met with native Indians on the island and dubbed it “Savage Rock.”
A small cable automotive runs from the mainland out to the island. A cable suspended on phone poles had been put in at each ends, and had platforms in place to load and unload no matter was wanted. The “bucket” suspended from a cable from the mainland to the island, put in within the 1950’s, was not meant for the transport of individuals; it was meant for the transportation of provides. Motion of the cable automotive was completed by hand over hand, not by the use of any electrical motors.
Sohier (pronounced “Soy-er”) Park additionally options benches (and rock formations) with gorgeous views of the York space and past. A present store with Maine-theme merchandise, Fox’s Lobster Home and an ice cream stand with picnic tables are situated throughout the park.
The Nubble was residence to greater than 30 lighthouse keepers between 1879 and 1987. In 1987, it grew to become the final lighthouse in North America to be automated. Even from a distance, Nubble Lighthouse stands tall, and majestically alongside the rocky Maine coast.
The sunshine from the Nubble Gentle’s Fresnel lens is seen for 13 nautical miles in clear climate. The world noticed many shipwrecks earlier than Nubble Gentle was constructed. The wreck of the Isidore in 1842 is probably the most well-known; her crew all perished. Since then, legend has it {that a} phantom ship continues to hang-out the seas round Cape Neddick.
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